Halloween has always been a popular holiday and has been increasingly popular over the past decade. Millions of people all over the world enjoy celebrating this holiday with their family and friends. According to the US Census Bureau's 2010 report, there were approximately 41 million potential trick-or-treaters who could have visited 116.7 million households in the United States. Decorations are a huge part of the Halloween fun, and nothing is more prevalent than the pumpkin. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated that there were 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the major-pumpkin producing states in 2010. A fair number of these pumpkins were carved as Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween.
While the classic Jack-O-Lantern design still has its place, expectations have evolved to desire more intricately-designed features. A well carved pumpkin is an absolute must, with the greatest appreciation going to the more elaborate and intricate designs. Until now, these intricate designs were only achievable by a small subset of people who possessed both a natural artistic ability and a lot of free time.
Presently, the average home carver is unable to produce intricate patterns and is generally left with rudimentary carvings of block faces created by straight-line cuts. In an effort to assist once-a-year carvers in their attempts to create the perfect pumpkin, template-based systems have been developed. These template systems generally comprise a flexible stencil that is affixed to the face of the pumpkin. A series of holes perforate the stencil and are used to direct the carver in punching holes into the flesh of the pumpkin with a sharply pointed tool or drill bit. Additionally, or alternatively, the carver traces the stenciled pattern onto the pumpkin flesh using a pen or marker. Once all of the holes are punched, or the pattern traced, the stencil is removed leaving a marked-up or hole-punched pumpkin for finishing. The carver then has to connect the dots using a sharp knife or saw to remove the desired portion of flesh.
While the template-based approach may offer the availability for more intricate carvings, these systems suffer a number of drawbacks. First, this method is time-consuming as the carver must attach the template, punch or trace the pattern, and then finish each intricate cut by following the pattern, which may be difficult due to the number and close proximity of punched holes. Second, these systems are dangerous, particularly where young children are present, as multiple tools need to be used. These tools include a sharp-pointed instrument or drill bit to puncture the pumpkin flesh (and if not properly handled, human flesh) and an extremely sharp knife or saw having a thin blade and fine edge. Third, the image carved into the pumpkin may intend to have thin portions of flesh remaining to create the intricacy. Thus, any error in carving will accidently cut the thin strip of flesh thereby destroying any intricacy desired in the first place. Fourth, the images carved are static—that is, once the image is carved it cannot be changed. If a second image is later desired, a new pumpkin will have to be carved from scratch. Finally, combining the above-referenced drawbacks creates an environment where children will not have fun carving the pumpkin which is a primary objective of the activity. The dangerous tools required prevent the children from being too close to the carver during carving for fear of injury, while the intricate designs prevent the children from being too close to the pumpkin post-carving as the pumpkin is easily damaged. Additionally, the time required to carve the pumpkin will likely be too long thereby leading to boredom.
Alternatively, intricately carved pumpkins can be purchased from a professional carver as pre-cut pumpkins or on a work-for-hire basis. While a fancily-carved pumpkin is achieved using this approach, drawbacks include expense and lack of involvement. Costs increase because a purchaser, beyond spending money to buy a pumpkin, is also paying the artist for the labor required to create the carving. The more intricate the carving, the higher the price of the pumpkin. Furthermore, part of the charm for children when creating a Jack-O-Lantern is removing the seeds and inner membranes of the pumpkin. Purchasing a pre-made Jack-O-Lantern prevents children from enjoying this annual fall ritual. Lastly, additional disadvantages to pre-cut pumpkins are the same as mentioned above—namely that the image is delicate and easily damaged, and the image is static and cannot be changed.
As such, there is a need for a system that provides a safe and efficient way to allow even the most artistically- and time-challenged person to interchangeably decorate a pumpkin with elaborate and intricate designs. The present invention addresses this and other needs.